Selections of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses

1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent" (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.

2. This word [repent] cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.

3. Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortifications [signs of physical suffering] of the flesh.

5. The pope neither desires nor is able to get rid of any penalties except those imposed by his own authority or that of Church law.

6. The pope cannot get rid of any guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been voided by God; or, to be sure, by getting rid of guilt in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant the end of guilt in these cases were disregarded, the guilt would certainly remain unforgiven.

16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ the same as despair, fear, and assurance of salvation.

21. …Those indulgence preachers are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and saved by papal indulgences.

27. They preach only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory.

32. Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers.

40. A Christian who is truly contrite [accepts his guilt and seeks to fix it] seeks and loves to pay penalties for his sins; the bounty of indulgences, however, relaxes penalties and causes men to hate them -- at least it furnishes occasion for hating them.

41. Papal indulgences must be preached with caution, lest people falsely think that they are preferable to other good works of love.

43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed than he who buys indulgences.

45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a needy man and passes him by, yet gives his money for indulgences, does not buy papal indulgences but God's wrath.

50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the money raising habits of the indulgence preachers, he would rather that the basilica of St. Peter were burned to ashes than built up with the skin, flesh, and bones of his sheep [common churchgoers].

51. Christians are to be taught that the pope would and should wish to give of his own money, even though he had to sell the basilica of St. Peter, to many of those from whom certain salesman of indulgences cajole money.

62. The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.

63. But this treasure is naturally most hateful [to the powerful], for it makes the first to be last (Mt. 20:16).

64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.

80. The bishops, curates, and theologians who permit such talk to be spread [about the high power of indulgences] among the people will have to answer for this.

81. This unbridled [uncontrolled] preaching of indulgences makes it difficult even for learned men to rescue the reverence which is due the pope from slander or from the shrewd questions of the laity [common churchgoers].

86. [Such as], "Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus [a famous rich man], build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?"

90. To repress these very sharp arguments of the laity [common churchgoers] by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies and to make Christians unhappy.

94. Christians should be exhorted [strongly asked] to be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, death and hell.

95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations [suffering and trials] rather than through the false security of peace (Acts 14:22).

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Bob Van Cleef <revc@GARG.CAMPBELL.CA.US>